Queen’s Speech 2022 LIVE – Watch the live stream here
Charles turns to levelling up.
A Bill will be brought forward to drive local growth, empowering local leaders to regenerate their areas, and ensuring everyone can share in the United Kingdom’s success. The planning system will be reformed to give residents more involvement in local development.
This is a reference to the levelling up bill.
He turns to the economy.
Her Majesty’s Government will drive economic growth to improve living standards and fund sustainable investment in public services. This will be underpinned by a responsible approach to the public finances, reducing debt while reforming and cutting taxes. Her Majesty’s Ministers will support the Bank of England to return inflation to its target.
The Prince of Wales is speaking.
Her Majesty’s Government’s priority is to grow and strengthen the economy and help ease the cost of living for families.
Her Majesty’s Government will level up opportunity in all parts of the country and support more people into work. My Ministers will continue to support the police to make the streets safer, and fund the National Health Service to reduce the COVID backlogs.
In these challenging times, her Majesty’s Government will play a leading role in defending democracy and freedom across the world, including continuing to support the people of Ukraine.
Boris Johnson and Keir Starmer are leading MPs into the Lords. From the TV feed, we can see them talking to each other, and smiling. It may not have been particularly sincere, but it did look amicable. Jeremy Corbyn and Theresa May used to process together in virtual silence. – The Guardian
Boris asks Sir Keir with a smile “Did you have a good weekend?”#cheeky. #StateOpeningofParliament
— Greg Hands (@GregHands) May 10, 2022
Labour says abandoning Northern Ireland protocol would trigger trade war with EU – (Guardian)
Labour says abandoning parts of the Northern Ireland protocol (see 11.20am) would start a trade war with Europe. This is from Jenny Chapman, Labour’s Brexit spokesperson.
The government’s threat to tear up the protocol risks a trade war during a cost of living crisis.
Instead of negotiating practical fixes that would benefit businesses and communities, the government plans to break the agreement they themselves negotiated and sold to the British public. Tensions are high in Northern Ireland while families across the country face rising prices and higher bills. There is no consensus to scrap the protocol in cabinet, let alone in Northern Ireland.
The last thing the country needs is more instability and a damaging trade dispute with our nearest trading partners. – The Guardian
What is levelling up? – (BBC)
It’s been reported that the Queen’s Speech today could feature a Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill, which would reform planning and force landlords to let out empty shops.
Research from the Institute for Fiscal Studies found that “on a wide variety of measures, regional disparities in the UK are greater than in most comparable countries”.
But, once housing costs have been adjusted for, living standards across the UK are not particularly unequal.
The government has said it will start investing in more areas around the UK, rather than just in London. Some civil servants are planned to be based in Darlington, for example, rather than Whitehall.
Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove said yesterday that rising prices in shops were making the government’s plans for the country tougher – Read on BBC News